Monthly Archives: May 2013

Partially I am posting this because the picture itself makes me think of sun and patio and holidays. Which makes me immediately thirsty.

Tad and I pulled this one together for another one of the Globe Quick fix recipes, but it really is tasty and I wanted to share the simple recipe.

Ingredients

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup dried lavender buds

Juice of 1 fresh lemon (50 ml)

3 cups sparkling water (such as San Pellegrino)

1/4 cup agave syrup

Method

In a small pot, add water and dried lavender buds (you can buy them online or at most specialty food stores). Bring to a simmer for 7-8 minutes until reduced. Strain the infused liquid – you should have about 1/4 cup. Place in the fridge to cool.

Juice the lemon and add to a pitcher with sparkling water. Mix in agave syrup and lavender infusion and serve immediately.

Tip: This ratio works for me, but you may want to add the lavender infusion and agave gradually to adjust the desired sweetness and floral intensity.

The Toronto Farmers’ Market Network (www.tfmn.ca) presents a screening of Symphony of the Soil, made by filmmaker, Debra Koons Garcia of ‘The Future of Food’. This recently released documentary has not been widely seen, so this is a unique opportunity. For details on the film visit www.symphonyofthesoil.com.

What: ‘Symphony of the Soil’ – Presented by the Toronto Farmers’ Market Network

When: Wed. May 29th, 7pm

Where: Royal Theatre, 608 College St.

Tickets at the door: $10, kids 12 and under $5

‘Drawing from ancient knowledge and cutting edge science, Symphony of the Soil is an artistic exploration of a miraculous substance, soil. By understanding the elaborate relationships and mutuality between soil, water, the atmosphere, plants and animals, we come to appreciate the complex and dynamic nature of this precious resource. The film examines our human relationship with soil, the use and misuse of soil in agriculture, deforestation and development, and the latest scientific research on soil’s key role in ameliorating the most challenging environmental issues of our time. Filmed on four continents, featuring esteemed scientists and working farmers and ranchers, Symphony of the Soil is an intriguing presentation that highlights the possibilities of healthy soil creating healthy plants creating healthy humans living on a healthy planet.’

Toronto Farmers’ Market Network brings together community-based market organizers to share information, advocate for a strong and healthy local food system, and grow great markets in our city.

Fifth Town, a Platinum Leed, facility is set to reopen its store end of May

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Patricia Secord, one of the new owners of Fifth Town Cheese. They are set to reopen the store on May 31, in time for the Great Canadian Cheese Festival. As the fate of Fifth Town remained unknown after going into receivership last summer, I don’t think anyone in the cheese community wanted to believe this award-winning cheese company with so much heart (and so much delicious fromage) could be kept down .

Due complicated regulatory paperwork to re-register the dairy to it new owners, cheese making will not begin until earliest September (for fresh cheeses). There are also renovations to be done ranging from general maintenance to expanding the existing waste water, solar, geothermal functionality and ageing areas to be more efficient.

In the meanwhile, Ms. Secord who has access to amazing artisanal farmstead cheese through her import business (Bertozzi Importing) will be selling those at the store just to get momentum and begin to bring the business back to life. (cool fact: Ms. Secord’s grandfather had been a Parmesan Reggiano producer in the Parma region before WWII broke out and her father came to Canada and bought his first Parm wheels to sell here with gold he had saved and brought from Italy). The business has offices in Montreal and Toronto.

The upcoming Italian cheese line-up sounds pretty mouth-watering and ranges from fresh cheeses, washed rinds and cave-aged varieties–all artisanal, goat, sheep and cow’s milk products-some raw and some organic. Ms. Secord was a little hesitant in the beginning about bringing in international products knowing Fifth’s Towns reputation had been built on its support for local product but says the community has been very supportive, “everyone wants to get the place up and running and this is going to help us get through the period of reconstruction.”

Here’s a recent favourite for the Globe “Quick Fix” column. The recipe is with the article HERE.

It’s so hard not eat a whole lot of pine nuts when making pesto–almost mindlessly–and then I keep reminding myself that they’re a kazillion dollars for a handful–probably worth more than Jack’s beanstalk seeds. But so yummy.

If you get sweaty palms watching the cooking intensity of Iron Chef you’ll know how excited I was to be part of the 5th annual Nickel City Chef cook-off in Buffalo this year. Taking place over four weekends, I was asked to be a judge for the final competition on April 14th.

Chef Adam Goetz and sous-chef Adam Cook trying to beat the clock.

The chefs in the challenge both wield impressive resumes of training and cooking internationally and across the US. Chef Adam Goetz who was days away from opening a new resto called Crave has previously been Executive Chef Saucier at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

What do you want people to know about the food scene and chefs in Buffalo?

I want visitors to understand that while we may be known for chicken wings, limiting the understanding of our food scene to a common bar snack is not unlike assuming NYC is made of nothing but pizza. We share the same terroir as Ontario, so those restaurants that focus on local, seasonal fare are as adept and capable as a good Toronto restaurant. We also have more independent restaurants per capita, than many other cities our size, with very few chains located within the city limits. An abundance of young, engaged, well-traveled chefs have returned to open their own restaurants here, and while it may not obvious to those who come to Buffalo to see a game or shop at the mall, there is a groundswell of passion here for the excellent dining experiences that can be had.

What frustrates you about people’s perception of the Buffalo culinary scene?

It makes me sad to think that visitors choose to eat at chain restaurants. If I thought that Toronto was only the few blocks surrounding the Air Canada Centre or the inside the Eaton Centre, I’d have missed out on so many amazing, delicious meals! And while it would be wrong of us not to embrace the Buffalo chicken wing as part of our city’s edible history, it is not the summation of our region.

And one last thing–for an amazing weekend getaway, book some dinners in this emerging culinary destination and stay at the Mansion on Delaware. So beautiful, so comfy, so luxurious….the service impeccable but relaxed. Amazing buffet breakfast and lovely happy hour in the beautiful sitting rooms. We will be back as soon as we can. Leaving is not easy.

Trying to spread the word about all the Grand prix winners and especially about the Grand Prix Champion, the first time a fresh cheese came out on top and a first for Ontario as well. This really opens the door in all categories at the Grand Prix for any cheese to win and is a fantastic sign of the quality we should be looking for as all sorts of fresh cheese become more popular with all the different cultures and their cuisines permeating our country-especially as Latin American styles of cheese become more available.

Here is a bit from my article in the Globe, click on the link below to read the whole thing and please spread the word!

There was a dark horse contender at the 2013 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix. In February, I was part of an eight-member jury that blind-tasted 225 cheeses over two days with unexpected results: When the individual scores were totalled, the top prize went to a simple ricotta. This unpretentious cheese had garnered exceptional grades in technical and aesthetic evaluation, surpassing the bloomy rinds, the washed rinds and the aged Goudas.

Read the whole article to find out more about how this cheese was made from a traditional Italian recipe and the first in Canada to be sold in individual molds purchased from Italy.